Man Arrested After False Bomb Threat Shuts Down Downtown Palm Springs

A 54-year-old Cathedral City man was arrested Sunday afternoon after claiming there was a bomb in his vehicle, forcing authorities to shut down six blocks of downtown Palm Springs and evacuate dozens of businesses.

Chad Everett Miller stopped his small SUV in the middle of Palm Canyon Drive at La Plaza around 1:30 p.m. and told someone nearby there was an explosive device in his car, according to Palm Springs Police.

Officers quickly established a perimeter, closing Palm Canyon Drive for six blocks along with multiple cross streets. Dozens of businesses were evacuated as a precaution, leaving many visitors and locals unable to retrieve their vehicles from within the police perimeter.

Witnesses described Miller behaving erratically before police arrived. Cell phone video captured Miller appearing agitated before officers arrested him around 5 p.m.

After a thorough inspection of the vehicle, no explosive device was found.

"Our most important part of our whole job is make sure the community is safe," said Lieutenant Michael Torres with the Palm Springs Police Department, explaining the department's aggressive response was taken out of an abundance of caution.

Police believe Miller may have been experiencing a mental health crisis but said he will still face criminal charges.

Miller has since posted $5,000 bail and is scheduled to make his first court appearance on November 20th at the Larson Justice Center in Indio, where he is expected to be formally charged on the accusations.